The proper fit of an orthotic device to the body of a patient is critical to performance of the device, as well as to the comfort of the patient. The fit of common orthotic devices, such as orthopedic braces for joint stabilization, is often approximated by offering a matrix of several sizes, across the entire size range. For example, a typical size matrix is small, medium, and large. The contours of the human body, however, are not always uniform and symmetrical, thereby rendering the standardization of properly fitting size matrices for orthotic devices problematic.
The problem is particularly acute when attempting to fit the human body with off-the-shelf orthotic devices having support components fabricated from relatively stiff materials, such as metals or rigid plastics. Because these components lack the ability to conform to the curves of the body contours, they are often preformed to have a generalized curved configuration that is intended to approximate the shape of the body and provide a close fit thereto. Nevertheless, it has been found that the body contours often have irregularities that the generalized curves of preformed orthotic devices do not adequately approximate.
As an alternative to standardized size matrices, orthotic devices can be customized for a more proper fit. Custom fitting, however, requires a large number of measurements of individual body dimensions rendering custom fitting and custom fabrication processes time-consuming and costly.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a systematic method for prefitting a stiffened member to a curved surface that is applicable to both standardized sizing and custom fitting of the member to the surface. It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a systematic method for prefitting a stiffened orthotic device to a curved surface of the human body.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a systematic method for prefitting the orthotic device to the human body that is adaptable to the oftentimes irregular and complex contours of the body. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a systematic method for prefitting the orthotic device to the human body that integrates relatively complex curves into the preformed device closely approximating the contours of the body. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a systematic method for prefitting a substantially customized or off-the-shelf orthotic device to the human body that requires relatively few preliminary measurements of the patient being prefitted with the device. It is an alternate object of the present invention to provide a systematic method for prefitting an off-the-shelf orthotic device to the human body that requires no preliminary measurements of the patient being prefitted with the device, but bases the fit on a statistical survey of body measurements from a population pool.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a systematic method for prefitting the orthotic device to the human body that establishes a relatively accurate, yet uniform and simple, analytical model of a human body to which a pattern of the device can be fitted. It is a further object of the present invention wherein such a pattern establishes corresponding fabrication parameters used to create the prefitted orthotic device. In accordance with the following disclosure, the present invention is shown to satisfy the above-recited objectives and others as will be apparent to the skilled artisan.